My apple butter experiment with fructose did not work well, but I am sure with sugar it will be perfect.
In today’s tough economic times, jobs are precious. In the last couple of months 3 large hardware supply companies in our area have closed their doors leaving countless people unemployed. You would expect people to look after the company’s that employ them. I know I am, even though there was no bonus for me last year. Dave told his staff they would get their bonus the day they got back to work. Their bonuses were based on the amount of time they had worked for him, less the number of days taken off not due to illness. His one fitter & turner worked the entire 12 months of last year, taking off 17 days for reasons other than being sick. Add on to that his 15 days leave and it means that he was not at work for 2 months last year. He did not arrive on the first day back, and sauntered in on the second day, late. That was the last we have seen of him. He has gone back to study – something Dave would have paid for had he chosen to stay and work. Not only has he lost his income, he has lost any chance of a reference. Very short sighted if you ask me. Another failure in my opinion was my attempt at making this recipe in a sugar free version. I am sharing the recipe however, as I am sure one of you will be willing to try and make this work!
Apple Butter
Ingredients
- 6 apples, chopped
- 1 quill cinnamon
- 1.25 mls ground nutmeg
- 1 lemon, chopped
- 300 mls water
- 400 g sugar
- 2.5 mls vanilla extract
Method
- Place the apples into a saucepan with the cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon and water
- Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for one hour
- Strain through a chinois and return to the pan
- Add the sugar and the vanilla
- Cook on a low heat, stirring continuously until the sugar dissolves
- Increase the heat and bring to a boil
- Boil for 30 minutes, stirring frequently
- Pour into sterilized glass jars
Click on the links for conversions and notes.
I think making ot completely sugar free would be difficult because doesn’t the sugar help make it syrupy as well as taste good? I wonder if there’s a super sweet fruit you could reduce and add to it. Nothing comes to mind right now but I’m ready for bed! You’re so right about most people and their lack of concern for the companies that pay them. You hope that someday they’ll learn but some people never seem to. At least you can count yourself among the aware and enlightened.
Sugar just works so differently but sometimes I can get the fructose to work. Maybe grape juice would have worked better? Hope you had a good evening 🙂
Silly man to have blown a good job – but what a fun lead. “This too a failure” – teehee!
it was! And I have two bottles in the cupboard of it 🙂
I find it really difficult to make things sugar free too. But thank you for sharing the recipe anyway Tandy! 🙂
It is good to share our failures 🙂
I have never made apple butter but i want to. AND i do agree about looking after your job. Around here there are VERY few jobs, this is why growing and preserving my own food is so important to me. but to have a job and not to bother keeping it, very stupid if you ask me! have a lovely day tandy! c
Please if you make this let me know how it works out (or not!). You have a very serious job, and we are all so richly rewarded by it by being able to read about it every day 🙂
You can guarantee he will be back with some long sob story asking for his job back!
What a pity your recipe didn’t work out like you had hoped. It still looks lovely.
🙂 Mandy
he won’t dare come back Mandy! And I think Dave is not going to even replace him. I had fun setting up the pics for the recipe, even if it did not work out 🙂
Work is very scarce nowadays, and precious!! I have never made apple butter.
work is very precious! I need to find more of it 🙂
I love apple butter, I would love to make this version! Cheers!
Please let me know how it turns out!
I never understand why people do that with jobs! Is it that hard to talk with your boss about what you’d like to do, your options, or even just a heads up that you’re leaving? Like you say, reference = gone. And I love apple butter! Sorry your version didn’t quite work, but, yummm, probably worth another try, I’d say 🙂
Do you have a recipe for apple butter? I think a lot of young adults think work will come easily to them – but it doesn’t 🙂
Sometimes people learn the hard way you know. And there is nothing you can do about it. And this apple butter recipe sounds absolutely delicious. I haven’t had apple butter in such a very long time
What would you use the apple butter for Kay? I cannot change the way other people see fit to run their lives 🙂
I would probably use the Apple Butter on biscuits. I usually love molasses with my grandmothers biscuit recipe, but I think the apple butter would go nicely with them 🙂
now I need a biscuit recipe please 🙂
As someone going through the jobseeking process right now I marvel that someone can be so flippant with a job Tandy. Hope his replacement appreciates what he has!
Apple butter: we’re still on hols so we may well give this a try! Thanks!
Please do share your experiment with us! I hope you find a great job Kate 🙂
I have never made nor eaten Apple butter, apart from spreading it on pastry’s what else could you use it for?
I am not sure! I am going to use my failed one in a cake to see what happens 🙂
You will find that the poor guy got the advice to just pack and go,but it is sad.
Nice picture,hope you enjoyed your weekend. 🙂
nope, he was not told to leave. It is just a reflection on how young adults behave in the work place. Thanks Mango, the pic took a long time setting up – and the weekend was great 🙂
Tandy, I have never made apple butter but I can give you a little input, as my apple sauce is close to apple butter. First…certain apples are better for making apple butter. Not knowing what you have available, I can say that Gravenstein is the absolute best. Any of the Jonathan varieties are good as well as McIntosh, Northern Spy and Winesap. You want late apples because they will be the sweetest. Also instead of water, use apple cider (3 cups) reduced down to half. I also think it needs to be cooked much longer. I hope that helps.
that is a HUGE help – I will have to google the apple varieties to see what is the same here. And I know, I said in December I would do an equivalency post on ingredients and I have not yet got down to it 🙂
My 18 year old son just got his first job at a local restaurant and they tell us constantly how much they love him! His attitude (fun and always laughing and smiling) and his hard work ethic really went a long way with them. He credits this to his hockey background.. I think it’s also the way he was raised (a little back-patting here) but it seems so many young (and older?) people feel life owes them something? I wish you owed me a jar of your apple butter.. sugar or no sugar, that looks amazing!
Smidge, your child is a huge reflection on who you are for sure! Raising children with a work ethic is too hard for some people today. I would send you the apple butter if I could 🙂
My husband and I have owned three restaurants, and I swear, we could write a book about all the people that worked for us and the way some of them behaved After all this time, I am still amazed how disrepectful and uncaring people are of their employer and their co workers. We try to remember only the wonderful employees we had. They are what made us successful! But in these difficult times? To leave a job like he did~People are crazy!
I made Apple Butter once, a long time ago. I will have to dig out my recipe. I’m intrigued.
I hope you can find your recipe! People are amazing in the way they have no work ethic 🙂
Hey Tandy…would also like to know what you would do with the apple butter!!
I am going to have to do a follow up post 🙂
I’ve never made or had apple butter before, sounds delicious:)
thanks Katya 🙂
you are always welcome Tandy
🙂
Love the photo!
Did you make the label?
I did, and smudged it a bit – it is blackboard paper 🙂